, 1887-03-10
WORK OF A MODEL.
MILE. ELLA WRITES OF HER OWN
STUDIO EXPERIENCE.
beginning Work When "a Little Girl-An
Incensed Mothcr-DIderence Between
French Artists and American Painters.
The Model Ideas.

French Artists and American Painters.
I The Models Ideas.
My companions were many of them
models, and one day, | remember it well,
1 was only IL years old at the time, n
friend said to me:
ELLA, how woul you like to pose for
an artist NJ. Corros, the great painter,
wants n little girl to sit for him. File Is
making n canva Of n village scene, and
he asked me TO find somebody, and you are
just the one thai would suit him" |
didn't dare to tell my mother, but next
morning, with Il fast beating heart, |
knocked at the door of NJ. Corros' studio.
l had not long to wait, for a tall man with
u kindly face and n musical voice opened
the door and said: Come in, little girl
in n manner that made me feel at home at
once.
1t wa an odd place and I confess l was not
n little interested in the many things | saw.
The room, n large one, was Uttered with
bits of statuary and bric-a-brac strewn
about The walls were covered with worn
out tapestries and hideous helmets, shields
and deadly battleaxes. NJ. Corros him
self was dressed in IA red smoking gown,
with n fez poised on the back of his head,
and his feet were incased in pointed Turk
ish slippers. Indeed, it would make any
girl a bit scary. He took me by the hand
and led me to an easel upon which there
was a half finished painting of u little
Swiss maide milking n cow. TAX off
your dress and put this one on, - he said,
handing me n skirt and bodice, such as
are worn in the Bernese Alps. Without
waiting he began to loosen the buttons of
my waist. Before I had time to realize
what had occurred / stood there with my
peasants dress on. Next he showed mel
photograph of n peasant girl with a milk
pail in her hand and asked me to assume
the same position. | was rather clever
then - French girls usually are and
naturally | fell into the position. "Goodi''
exclaimed monsieur, and after making q
few suggestions and arranging the folds
Of my skirt he filed a long pipe, and,
taking up his palette, dropped into n seat
before the easel.
Stand that way as long rs you can and
tell me when you get tired. Sing, laugh,
do anything you please, only don't move
more than you can possibly help till l give
you permission" He daubed his brushes
over the pats of paint on his palette, and
through the thick lou of fragrant smoke
that rose from his pipe l watched him
work away. l stood there half an hour at
least, encouraged by the snatches of fa-
miliar songs that monsieur sang as he
worked away. Suddenly he dropped the
brush and came over to me. ''Bravol'.
he cried. you are a little brick, and
now you shall have your reward With
that he opened an ancient carved cup
board, took therefrom the lightest cups
and saucers | had ever seen and began to
set n three legged table. He had no end
of sweetmeats, biscuit, cakes and fruit
and, best of all, coffee, which he himself
made, using milk instead Of water to cook
it in.
We sat down and ate and drank, NJ.
Corros saying funny things all the while.
During the meal he casually referred to
my parents, asked me if my mother was
kind to me and if l had brothers and sis
tiers.
At his request, after l had gorged my
self to my hearts content, l resumed my
position and monsieur painted away an
hour longer, and l put on my things be-
hind u screen and prepared to go home.
Come again tomorrow" said mon
sieur, pressing IA five franc piece in my
hand, and say to your mother that 1 shall
use you for n week to come at least
l plucked up courage, and just before l
said my evening prayers l handed my
mother the coin / had earned, confessed
everything, got n sound beating and fell
asleep.
Next morning my mother escorted me
to the studio, determined to rebuke NJ.
Corros for having engaged me rs his
model without her consent. Like Gold
smiths scoffer she remained to pray, and
in less than five minutes everything was
settled and from hat time forth l took
my place in the army of models that
live in the studios of the Rue Clichy and
Rochechouart.
L posed for Corros three years, and OH
ua did hoyra purnb ia11u firnac Erapcl,
artists are not at all like your American
painters. They are kind n treat their
models just as if they were boon com
p%anions. They don't say, like your
Americans do to their models in n cruel,
chilly way: "Ah, Miss X, you have come
to sit for me. Just take your position
and wait till l get ready. There, keep
your back straight; don't wink and try to
appear at rest" The idea of n person
trying to assume the natural, unre-
strained pose of a simple girl before a
spinning wheel in a stiff backed chair with
her hands crossed in her lapl That the
very reason why most American painters
can't paint. They don't choose their
models from the right material. All they
want is a girl with a good figure and
never care whether she is graceful or not.
Instead Of allowing an experienced
model to assume her own positions, to an
extent, they insist that the model should
sit just rs they wish and distort herself
until she looks like n mannikin.
In Paris it is different. The artist knows
his model, as she is one Of his best friends.
II want to paint "A nun at mass or a prin-
cess at n ball, mademoiselle, ~ he says.
Then perhaps he will take up n guitar,
strum n few bars Of n waltz while the
model leisurely undresses in his presence
and Ions her costume. 'How would you
stand, suppose l was the prince and led
you into the ballroom, and we were saluted
by the guestsS'i OF course n graceful
model catches the idea ut once. She stands
one way, then another, and SO on until the
artist hits upon the one he likes, and inn
parting n few ideas about the arrangement
Of the drapery he goes about his work.
Everything is natural, and that is the rea-
sll In n great measure why French paint
ers are so successful in their efforts.
Then again, from her friendly relations
with the artist, the model takes the liberty
Of criticising the painting in its various
stages of completion, and standing at a
distance from the canvas the model can
better judge the effect than the artist,
who is close TO the canvas, and hundreds
of times, while posing for Cabanel, Bac-
canvitch and Var Beers, / have called
their attention to what l thought was out
Of harmony with the rest of the work.